Incidence of Lung Cancer in Non-Smokers Rises To 15%

Dear Friend,

Smoking tobacco has long been a known risk factor for lung cancer. Surprisingly, as smoking rates have declined, non-smokers have accounted for a higher percentage of lung cancer cases. In addition, these patients are more likely to be women.

This important data update comes from studies in Great Britain and the United States involving non-small cell cancer, which constitutes 85 to 90 percent of all lung cancer cases. The non-small cell lung cancer type is aggressive and usually detected at a later stage, particularly in non-smokers who are not screened as often due to fewer risk factors.

Over a seven-year period, British researchers discovered that the percentage of never-smokers with lung cancer more than doubled from 13 percent to 28 percent. Subjects in the study included 2,170 patients between 2008 and 2014.

The study's American counterparts had similar results in a study of lung cancer patients between 1990 and 2013. According to lead researcher Dr. Lorraine Pelosof, nine percent of non-small cell patients between 1990 and 1995 were never-smokers. In the period of 2011-2013, the percentage had grown to nearly 15 percent.

At present, researchers are stumped as to the reason for these increases, or why women are more susceptible. Ongoing studies are focusing on genetic risk and family history as possible causes in the absence of tobacco use. Dr. Pelosof also commented on the need to confirm her team's findings, noting limitations such as the smoking history of subjects being self-reported.

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Fact #1: Smoking isn't the only cause of lung cancer
While it's true that smoking causes around 87% of all cases, it's not the only cause. Lung cancer occurs when the cells in the lungs mutate, and this is often caused by breathing in toxic chemicals, but it can also be due to genetics.

Fact #2: Lung cancer symptoms usually do not appear until the cancer has spread.
Early cases of lung cancer generally produce no symptoms, which is why it can sometimes take years for doctors to find the cancer. Find out the rest of the five now...